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World War 2
This war was a global conflict between two coalitions, the Allies and the Axis powers. Almost every major country in the world was involved. There was a range from 50 million to 85 million casualties. The Major leaders on both sides were Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo. The Allied powers won the war. -
The Manhattan Project
The United States and Nazi Germany were in a mechanical battle to see who could develop an Atomic Bomb first. This was a top secret World Ward II government project. Oppenheimer oversaw the development of the atomic bomb. They produced two fission bombs that later destroyed Nagasaki and Hiroshima Japan. -
Japan Surrendered
After the bombings on Nagasaki and Hiroshima Japan was forced to drop out of the war. They then decided to accept the Potsdam terms. Japan wanted to surrender because they wanted to slow the damage that occured. This led to an agreement of negotiated terms and peace. -
The Battle Of Iwo Jima
This battle was a major turning point for WWII. This was the bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history. This was a costly victory for the United States. This fight went on for 36 days. About 6,140 American Marines died. This battle was a major blow to The Japanese military. -
D-Day
This was the largest sea-borne invasion in history. This was the Allied invasion on Normandy France. The Allies won this battle. This led to the liberation of France. This operation was delayed because of the bad weather. Around 9,000 Germans died, And about 4,400 Allied powers died. -
The Battle Of The Hedgerows
2,500 U.S bombers blew a hole through the gap. This led the U.S tanks through German lines. When Allied powers broke out of Normandy, French civilians started a riot against German powers.The Allies liberated Paris soon after. -
The Battle Of The Bulge
This Battle was Hitlers last desperate offensive attempt . He intended to cut off Allied supply's from Belgium. There was a lot of cold weather and snow up to 6 inches. The Germans surprised the Americans. As Germans headed west their line bulged outwards leading to the name of this battle. Later on once the weather cleared Allied aircrafts attacked German fuel depots. On January 8th The Germans withdrew and had more than 100,000 casualties. -
Firebombing Japan
B-29s were ordered to drop bombs filled with napalm on targets. These bombs exploded and catch fire. If the targets were missed, the fires would spread. This was very controversial because a lot of civilians died. Lemay could not think of any other way to attack Japans war productions faster, so they went through with it. On March 9th there was such strong winds that the fires grew so immensely that it sucked oxygen out of the air and killed thousands. This event killed more then 80,000 people. -
The Invasion Of Okinawa
Okinawa was invaded by Allied powers when they showed no signs of giving up even after the fire-bombings. Japanese soldiers hid in the mountains and American troops had to fight through deep slopes to draw them out. More then 12,000 American troops died. On June 22, 1945 Okinawa was finally captured. -
President Roosevelt dies
President Roosevelt Died on April 4th, 1945. His health declined dramatically during the war. His Doctor diagnosed Roosevelt with a massive cerebral hemorrhage. This is also known as a stroke. He passed away shortly after within a few hours. President Truman now had to step up and take office. -
Hitlers Death
Hitler died on April 30th, 1945 shortly after PR. He committed suicide with his wife in their underground bunker, after being hunted by Soviet Troops storming Berlin. This meant the war against Germany was over hence Hitler's last words “It is finished, goodbye”. Germany’s reaction to his death was insignificant, the people were not bothered because they were more concerned with surviving themselves. Germany divided itself into four zones which later led to the start of the Cold War. -
Germany surrenders
With the death of Hitler, Germany had no choice but to surrender. Japan continued fighting Germany because they believed surrender was to be dishonorable. Many Germans were poor, all of their money was drained, and there was lots of damage done to the country. They signed a document declaring their unconditional surrender. This led to the fall of Nazi Germany. -
V-E Day
This is the marked day for the end of WW2 in Europe. It is known as the day of victory for Europe. Many were celebrating, On May 9th Germany signed a surrender to the soviet union which ended WW2 in Europe. The Allies had won the War. It became a national holiday. Their surrender was not a surprise, everyone had been waiting for when it would happen, and on VE day it finally did. -
Nuremberg Trials
The trial began on November 20th, 1945. It started with a mere 21 defendants. This was one of the first trials for an international war crime. The trials lasted 11 months. They were being charged with conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. 10 people were hanged on October 12th, 1946. At the end of the trials, 199 defendants were tried, 161 were convicted, and 37 were sentenced to death. The remaining defendants received 10 years to life in prison.